Curriculum Vitae

Goals:

- Top three at World Championships 2000
- Top three at Olympic Games in Sydney
 
 

A position among the top three at the Olympic Games next year is one of Barbara Blatter's goals. This is not just a pipe dream, as she is again confirming with her results in this season. She has continuously increased her performance and belongs now to the top ten riders worldwide within only three years of Mountain Bike racing. Her talent for this sport is striking: In her first year of racing she won the Swiss National Series and continues to hold this title since then. In her first worldcup race at the season opener in Silves (1998), Portugal, she jumped straight to the a 14th place finish, showing the world that she is on the upward side of the curve. The second position at the European Championship in 1999 and a 3rd place finish at the Worldcup Final in Houffalize, Belgium, confirmed that she is a world class rider and that she is capable to reach highest positions.  In 1997 she made the decision to try professional mountain bike racing for the first time. By then she had completed  her education and had worked for two years as a kindergarten teacher. She now felt comfortable in devoting more time to cycling, and set her sights on new achievements. In her first national race series the Swiss surprised herself by finishing right among the top athletes in the field: Silvia Fuerst, Chantal Daucourt, and Daniela Gassmann. In June of the same year Barbara hooked up with her coach Stephan Schuetz, an accomplished former Elite-Amateur road racer. From then on she stuck to a tight training schedule. Tenth place at the European Championship in Denmark proved that she was on the right track. Until 1998, she managed to work nearly full-time at her teaching position while also continuing to improve her race results.

In August 1998 she turned her full attention towards her racing goals. Her success proves that this was a very good choice. Hard work and determination combined with excellent coaching contribute to making Barbara the superb racer she is today. She adheres to the training schedule diligently, even in the worst weather and the toughest conditions. Difficult, steep courses are her favorite race terrain. In the hike-a-bike sections she excels. She has made enormous progress in her downhill skills, mainly by practicing already in February with her sister Kathrin in California.  In addition to the rigorous training, much of her success is due to her steadiness, her strong will, and her well-balanced character. She is unshakable. Once she sets her goals nothing can stop her. Always interested in different sports, Barbara includes inline skating, cross country skiing, running, and hiking in her training schedule. And, once the pressure of the race has subsided, she becomes the funniest person, joking around like a comedian - her own way to keep it all balanced (pic).    But for now she is focused on mountain bike racing. In the coming World Championships she hopes to finish among the top three. And in the Olympic Games in Sydney she has also set her sights on a top three finish.